Super Eagles duo Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi, are running the show with former Premier League champions Leicester City in the Championship season following their unpopular decision to remain at the club, Freelanews reports.
When Leicester got relegated from the EPL to the Championship last season, Nigerians expected both players to leave the club for top-tier football elsewhere and they had many offers in the summer.
Even when new manager Enzo Maresca failed to acknowledge how important they could be for him when he took over, they both remained at the club.
Ndidi and Iheanacho were heavily linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium, and the manager said the club was also willing to let go.
“The market is open, anything can happen. We can bring in players and we can sell them too. The market is long. There are many weeks so we’ll see,” Maresca said in July.
Four months later, the Nigerians have settled fully into life in the Championship, turning up in style for the Foxes in the second tier as the former EPL champions are seeking an immediate return to the English topflight. Leicester hold a three-point lead ahead of Ipswich in the league table with 55 points from 22 matches.
Iheanacho who scored nine goals in all competitions for the Foxes last season has almost reached that figure this season with his five goals and one assist in 18 appearances in the Championship. In the Carabao Cup, he also scored one goal and one assist in two appearances.
Ndidi on the other hand is also enjoying a new lease of life in his new advanced role with the club which has allowed him more freedom to contribute two goals and five assists in the Championship. He also netted two other goals in the Carabao Cup as well as one assist.
Their combined 13 goals contribution so far this season amounts to 29.5 per cent of the Foxes 44 goals in the Championship this season.
Both players have also been on the scorers’ sheet in the same game this season during their 2-0 win over Burton in the first round of the Carabao Cup.
At their current pace, Leicester could be back in the EPL next season if they don’t lose grip of their lead, but what remains to be seen is whether the Nigerians will still be with the Foxes due to lingering transfer speculations.
Coincidentally, their contracts will expire on the same day, Jun 30, 2024.
With just over six months to the end of their contracts, Leicester can’t certainly afford to let them go for free next summer.
Spanish giants, Barcelona, who mooted the idea of signing Ndidi as a longtime replacement for Sergio Busquets in 2020, are back for the Nigerian and are keen on signing him in 2024 when his contract with the Foxes expires.
On the other hand, Iheanacho has been linked with moves to some Premier League clubs as well as offers from Italy and Turkey.
Perhaps new offers are on the table for the Nigerians, but for now they will be relishing their run in the competition just as the club will miss their services by the time the 2023 AFCON kicks off on January 13 in Ivory Coast.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
